[1][10] He eventually spent only one season alongside compatriots Gabriel Tamaș and Ovidiu Petre with the Cim Bom Bom side, being used regularly by coach Fatih Terim but when fellow Romanian Gheorghe Hagi came as head coach to the club he started to play more rarely, eventually being sold at the end of the season to French side Nantes for €2.5 million, signing a four-year contract.

[1][2][5][13][14] Also Andone used him in eight games from the 2005–06 UEFA Cup campaign when the team eliminated Everton against whom he scored a double in a historical 5–2 on aggregate, reaching the group stage.

[1][13][16] In the 2007–08 season he was signed by Dinamo București from Nantes for a €700,000 fee, reuniting with his former coach from Rapid, Mircea Rednic with the objective of reaching the Champions League group stage, scoring a goal in the second leg of the third qualifying round against Lazio after a prolonged sprint, leaving his opponent Guglielmo Stendardo behind and executing Marco Ballotta with a dry shot, however they did not qualify, losing with 4–2 on aggregate.

[18][20] In the following season, after 10 games Dinamo was on the first position with Bratu in a good shape, as he scored six goals but in the 32nd minute of a match against CFR Cluj due to the difficult terrain and after a duel with the strong Álvaro Pereira, Bratu suffered a sprained knee, with damage to the cruciate ligaments which kept him off the field for about one year, being unable to fully recover after that, also Dinamo eventually lost the title that season.

[22] In January 2011, he signed for Liga I team Gaz Metan Mediaș where he spent one year and a half, playing only 11 league games with one goal scored in August 2011 against Voința Sibiu.

[1][24] Bratu played 14 games and scored two goals at international level for Romania, making his debut on 12 February 2003 when coach Anghel Iordănescu sent him on the field in order to replace Adrian Mutu in the 92nd minute of a friendly against Slovakia which ended with a 2–1 victory.