An early starter and proven stopper 

Raab showed his promise early when, back in 2015 at the age of just 16, the Weilburg native made his debut in a men's team at Sportfreunde Eisbachtal. One season later, he moved to Eintracht Trier. Although he only played for their U19s in the DFB Junior Cup and in the U19 South/Southwest relegation play-offs, he nevertheless proved himself ready for a higher level and joined 1. FC Kaiserslautern for the 2017/18 season.  

Raab spent the next three years playing for the Red Devils' second team, appearing in 27 games in the Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar Oberliga and making the leap to the professional ranks in the 3. Liga in 2020. He made his first team debut for FCK in November 2020 in a 1-1 draw against 1. FC Saarbrücken, confirming his arrival in professional football. As the undisputed number one between the posts, Raab played a major role in Kaiserslautern's return to the 2. Bundesliga in 2021/22. He missed only four games that season, and was in goal for the DFB Pokal game against Borussia Mönchengladbach as well as the decisive relegation play-off games against Dynamo Dresden. 

The 6’2” goalkeeper joined Hamburger SV for the 2022/23 season, where he served as backup to Daniel Heuer Fernandes. However, he did not have to wait long for his first appearance. Ironically, that came against his former team-mates from Kaiserslautern when he helped secured a point in a 1-1 draw on the eleventh matchday. In the second half of the following season, Raab rose to become the number one under head coach Tim Walter and his successor Steffen Baumgart, making 17 appearances, including three games in the cup. He added four more appearances in Hamburg's promotion season, remaining unbeaten in three league games.  

Three facts about Matheo  

• Raab played alongside László Bénes in twelve games for HSV and made 16 appearances under Union head coach Steffen Baumgart. 

• When he was younger, he often went to the go-kart track with his family, and he still has a soft spot for cars today. 

• In the second round of the 2023/24 DFB Pokal, he was the match winner against Arminia Bielefeld. He made a string of saves in extra time, before saving the decisive penalty in the shoot-out. 

Reactions to the transfer 

“The path that Union have taken in recent years and intend to continue in the future immediately convinced me,” said Raab on the completion of his signing for Union. “I've heard a lot of good things about the stadium and the fans and can't wait to experience it all for myself. I'm looking forward to meeting my new colleagues and am determined to help the team achieve its goals.”  

Union’s director of men’s professional football, Horst heldt, also had this to say on the new keeper: “Matheo is another important and interesting addition to our goalkeeping team. We are convinced that he will bring competition between the posts and are delighted that he has chosen us.”