Born in Berlin, Ramelow grew as a player at local
Hertha BSC, playing five
second division matches in his first two years combined, and five seasons in total: his debut came on 25 April 1992 (aged 18), in a 0–5 home loss against
Bayer Uerdingen. In the
1992–93 season, he helped
the reserve squad reach the
domestic cup final, where they lost to
Bayer Leverkusen. In January 1996, Ramelow moved to the
Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, being a major part of the squads that never finished lower than fourth until the
2003–04 season (except for
2002–03, where they would rank only 15th, the last place before the relegation zone); a defensive-minded player, he scored twice in his top flight debut, a 2–0 home win against
Hansa Rostock on 19 March, and contributed with 16 matches (15 complete) in Bayer's
2001–02 UEFA Champions League runner-up run, including
the final loss against
Real Madrid. On 3 November 2004, Ramelow was involved in an incident with
Roma's
Francesco Totti, during a 1–1 draw at the
Stadio Olimpico in Rome in the
Champions League: the Italian Totti jumped on a sliding Ramelow, stomping on his shoulder and back, and receiving a
yellow card. From 2006 to 2008, he appeared rarely due to injuries, and announced his retirement from football in March, at the age of 34. ==International career==