Tobias Rau
Tobias Rau (born 31 December 1981 in Braunschweig) is a German former professional footballer who played as a left back. His career was troubled by injuries, and he retired from top-level football at age 27.
He started at his hometown club Eintracht Braunschweig, before moving to VfL Wolfsburg in 2001. He made his Bundesliga debut on 18 August 2001 in a 1–1 draw with SC Freiburg.
In 2003 he joined Bayern Munich. Injuries and strong competition limited him to 19 appearances in all competitions, plus eight more for the reserve team.
In 2005 he signed for Arminia Bielefeld, where injuries continued and he often served as a backup. He left the club on 30 June 2009 and announced his retirement on 6 July 2009.
Internationally, Rau played seven times for Germany in 2003, scoring one goal in a 4–1 win over Canada. He had previously appeared for Germany U21 in 2002, earning nine caps and one goal.
After retiring, Rau planned to study to become a teacher, despite offers to continue playing elsewhere. He returned to football in 2012 with Kreisliga side TV Neuenkirchen.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:18 (CET).