Hamdi Salihi moved for the first time outside joining Panionios (founded in 1890) and played five games before moving back.
In January 2005, Salihi moved for the first time outside the country by joining Panionios in then Alpha Ethniki on a three-year contract. The young Albanian striker managed to play in 6 games, mostly coming on as a substitute in the last few minutes. He left the club following the end of the season and came back to Albania. 
