The 18-year-old Chinese star has become a Japanese citizen, and will enter the Osaka first team next season, aiming for Japan to play in the World Cup

On December 26, Beijing time, it was confirmed by a number of well-known media people that Zhang Aolin, an 18-year-old Chinese goalkeeper who plays for the Osaka Gamba team of the J League, has joined the Japanese nationality. Promoted to Gamba Osaka's first team next season, he aims to enter the Japanese men's national team and represent the "Blue Samurai" in the World Cup.

Zhang Aolin, who was born on April 25, 2005, is a goalkeeper with a height of 1.94 meters, and he has excellent physical fitness and good talent. Although Zhang Olin is of Chinese descent, he was born in Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, and has been exposed to Japanese football culture since he was a child.

Previously, Zhang Olin had been in the Osaka Gamba Youth Team. Due to his outstanding potential, Gamba Osaka has signed a temporary contract with him in October this year, and Zhang Olin will officially enter the first team of Gamba Osaka next season. Recently, he personally confirmed in an interview that he had obtained Japanese nationality, which also means that Zhang Olin decided to give up the opportunity to enter the Chinese men's national football team in the future and choose to play for the Japanese men's football team instead.

It is worth mentioning that there is a Chinese player in the J1 League, Gao Yuyang, who plays for the Niigata Swans, he is the son of former international Gao Sheng, and the player has already been naturalized in Japan, but has not been selected for the Japanese senior national team.

And Zhang Aolin, who is younger than Gao Yuyang, will also find it difficult to gain a foothold in Gamba Osaka and enter the Japanese men's national football team in the future. Gamba Osaka's current goalkeeper configuration can be called luxurious, with two international-level goalkeepers Gu Akio and Higashiguchi Shunaki, and Ishikawa Hui as the third goalkeeper. In the short term, Zhang Olin may need to wait for the Carabao Cup or seek a loan out if he wants to get a chance to play.