Rainer Ernst (born 31 December 1961) is a German former professional footballer who amassed 56 caps for the East Germany national team.

He began his football career when he was seven years old, at the youth side of BSG Empor Neustrelitz where his father Joachim "Jochen" Ernst became his first trainer.

[3] He participated in the V.Kinder- und Jugendspartakiade 1975 Berlin, with the Neubrandenburg student district selection as the captain and his father as the trainer.

On 27 July Neubrandenburg met Karl-Marx-Stadt at the final, lost 2–1 but it was a sensation, Ernst was selected as the centre midfield of Spartakiade-Eleven 1975.

[3] There he succeeded:[3] the runner-up of East Germany Student championship 1975–76 (he was absent from the final in the Sportforum Gräfenhainichen between FC Karl-Marx-Stadt and BFC Dynamo),[6] the winner of Junior championship 1977–78[7] and 1978–79 (decided on the penultimate match day),[8] the winner of Youth championship 1980–81 (16 matches, four goals) with Frank Rohde, Christian Backs et al.[9][10] Ernst made his first appearance in the DDR-Oberliga on 6 June 1979, the 25th and penultimate match day of 1978–79 season, away game against BSG Chemie Böhlen which ended with a 10–3 victory.

[12] The next and last matchday, 9 June 1979, he played for 57 minutes of the match against FC Karl-Marx-Stadt as the substitute for number 10 Hartmut Pelka.

Captain Frank Terletzki took the corner kick, Falko Götz did the flick-on then Ernst hit the ball over the line from two metres.

The same year he scored his first Oberliga goal, he celebrated his debut for the East Germany A-national team, which was the last qualifying match of the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

In the 73rd minute Ersnt received a pass from Joachim Streich and elegantly lobbed Swiss Goalkeeper Roger Berbig[28] from 22 meters.

[29][30] Ernst played as number 10 for their sixth qualifying match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup against France in a fully-filled Zentralstadion on 11 September 1985.

He was called up by the trainer Ede Geyer for the friendly match with Belgium on 12 September 1990, but he announced his withdrawal from the national team, saying he lost motivation.