Rau amassed 52 official appearances for the latter side.[2] His Bundesliga debut came on 18 August 2001, starting and featuring 52 minutes in a 1–1 home draw against SC Freiburg.
Bayern Munich
In June 2003, Rau's solid performances caught the attention of powerhouse FC Bayern Munich. However, several serious injuries[3] and stiff competition from Frenchmen Willy Sagnol and Bixente Lizarazu[4] restricted his chances to 19 games across all competitions (with a further eight for the reserve team).[2]
Arminia Bielefeld
In the summer of 2005, Rau signed with Arminia Bielefeld, where he would also be a backup and suffer severely with injuries – only an average of eight league matches in four years – being released on 30 June 2009[5] before announcing his retirement on 6 July.[6]
International career
Rau played seven times for Germany, all in 2003.[7] His debut came on 12 February in a friendly with Spain played in Palma, Majorca, and his only goal contributed to a 4–1 home defeat of Canada on 1 June.[8]
Personal life
In July 2009, shortly after retiring, Rau announced his return to school to start a career as a teacher despite having offers from clubs abroad and from the 2. Bundesliga.[9][10]
Rau returned to playing football in 2012, joining Kreisliga amateurs TV Neuenkirchen.
Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[2][11]