 Wolfsburg were promoted to the Bundesliga in Ratke's second season with the club, and he made 13 appearances at this level, before leaving in 1998.Ratke then returned to Dresden, spending a season in amateur football, with VfB Hellerau-Klotzsche, before signing for Dresdner SC, who were at this point the top club in the city, finishing second in the Regionalliga Nordost, while Dynamo were relegated to the NOFV-Oberliga.In 2002, Dynamo returned to the third tier (now the Regionalliga Nord), and Ratke returned to the club, where he spent two seasons before retiring in 2004, having helped the club earn promotion to the 2.