Hamdi Salihi

Hamdi Salihi was born on 19th January 1984 in Shkoder, Albania. He is footballer from Albania. He is currently playing the role of a strik...

Hamdi Salihi was born on 19th January 1984 in Shkoder, Albania. He is footballer from Albania. He is currently playing the role of a striker for his club Hapoel Ironi Acre F.C. He is a member of the Albanian national team. He is nicknamed Bomber by the former international coach of the Albanian national team. Salihi is known for his prolific goal scoring both in his country and in Austria, the two countries that he has spent the most part of his playing career. He has been a member of the national team of his country, and he played his first match for the country in the year 2006.

source of picture: www.sportitotal.net

Club Career

Salihi began his football career in the club that is in his hometown, KS Vllaznia Shkodër. In the 2002/03 season, he played just twice for the club and in the next season, he was given a bigger opportunity to show his qualities as a young player and he managed to score 14 goals for the club after playing the total of 33 matches for the club. In the 3rd season with the club, he played for half of the season and bagged 16 goals out of the 20 matches that he played for the club and he made a move to Greece.

In the year 2004, Salihi went to play for Panionios in the top division of Greece. The young player from Albania only played 6 games for the club and came in as substitute in most of the matches that he played for the club. After that season in the club, he made his mind up to return to his country and play for KF Tirana

He started playing for KF Tirana from the 2005/06 season. He had a good season with the club as he won the golden boot of the superliga of the country as the top goal scorer of the season and he won the National Cup with the club. He played another half season for the club before he left to the Austrian Bundesliga. While he was with KF Tirana, he became popular globally for his goal scoring abilities. In one season with the club, he scored the total of 35 goals in 39 matches that he played. He also played half season and scored 16 goals for the club after 20 matches that he played for the club in the 2006/07 season.

In the 2007 january transfer period, Salihi joined the Austrian side, SV Ried. He finished his first half season with the club with the total of 6 goals for the club. In the 2008/09 season, he enjoyed a good season at the football club and he became the 4th joint scorer of the league together with Carsten Jancker of SV Mattersburg with the total of 12 goals, though his club finished in the 7th position out of 10 in the league table. In the next season with the club, he increased his goals to 14 goals in the season.

On the 31st August 2009, he signed for SK Rapid Wien on a three years deal. On his first match with the club, he came into the game on the 2nd half of the game as a replacement and scored his first goal for them on the 83rd minute of the game, and that drew the game to 2-2 against Salzburg.

At the end of the season, he bagged the total of 15 goals for the club. He scored his first goal for the club in the next season in the match that was played against SV Mattersburg and the game finished 2-0 in favor of his club. In the match that was played against LASK Linz in that season, he was able to score fout goals in the game.

On the 2nd February 2012, Salihi made amove to Major League soccer club, D.C United as a designated footballer. On the 25th February, 2012, he bscored his first goal for the club in a preseason match that was played by the club.

On the 3rd of February 2013, Jiangsu Sainty, a Chinese super league club announced the purchase of the striker to replace the injured Cristian Dănălache. He scored his first goal for the club in the first match that he played for the club on the 26th February, the match was played against K League champions FC Seoul in the first round of the 2013 AFC Champions League group stage game, and the match finished 5-1 in favor of the opponents. He won his first title in china in the 2013 Chinese FA Super Cup that the club, Jiangsu Sainty won Super League and FA Cup champions, Guangzhou Evergrande by 2-1. He was the player that forcded the opponent’s player, Zhang Linpeng to score an own goal in the18th minute of the game.

In January 2014, Salihi was made a part of Hapoel Ironi Acre F.C. he played his first match for the club on the 10th February. He started the match and was subbed in the 77th minute of the game. On the 15th of that same month he scored twice in the match that was played against Ironi Ramat Hasharon that finished 4-3 in favor of his club.

International Career

Salihi scored his first goal for the national team of his country in the match that was played against Malta on the 23 August 20078. The game finished 3-0 for Albania. He was brought into the game on the 22nd minute of the game and he replaced Erjon Bogdani, who played for just 12 minutes. He scored his second goal for the country in the 4-1 lost match that was played against Sweden in the FIFA 2010 World Cup Qualifiers.

Honours

Jiangsu Sainty

• Chinese FA Super Cup (1): 2013

SV Ried

• Austrian Bundesliga runner-up (1): 2006-07

KF Tirana

• Albanian Superliga (1): 2006–07

• Albanian Superliga runner-up (1): 2005-06

• Albanian Cup (1): 2005–06

• Albanian Supercup (2): 2005, 2006

Vllaznia

• Albanian Superliga runner-up (1): 2002-03