Patrick Bauer

Patrick Bauer's name is tied to one moment: in May 2019, in the 94th minute of the League One play-off final against Sunderland, the centre-back rose to head in a goal that sent Charlton Athletic back up to the Championship. It remains the defining act of his career so far.

Bauer came through the youth ranks at TSG Backnang 1919 before joining VfB Stuttgart in 2005, progressing via the club's second team into the first-team picture. A loan spell took him to Marítimo's B side in Portugal, and he later returned to England. Charlton Athletic signed him in June 2015, and he went on to make 124 appearances for the club. His time there also included a disputed goal against Bristol Rovers in 2017.

The play-off heroics against Sunderland preceded his free transfer to Preston North End in June 2019, where he made 95 appearances before a serious Achilles tendon rupture in December 2020 interrupted his progress. He later joined AFC Wimbledon on a free transfer.

At international level, Bauer represented Germany at youth level, gathering caps across the U17, U18 and U20 age groups for a combined ten appearances and two goals, without going on to earn a senior cap.