The Mainz midfield maestro that has Europe's top clubs swooning over him

Johannes Geis has been rapidly rising up the ranks of German football over the last few years, so much so that the European elite are now chasing after his signature.

Geis' childhood

"A small village with very inhabitants, but it is very beautiful," said Geis, talking about his home town of Oberstreu. Born on August 17th 1993, the defensive midfielder started his career with the local side TSV Oberstreu.

It was merely a matter of time until he was lacing his first pair of football boots: "My family are all enthusiastic about football, whether it was my dad or my cousins.

"So from the beginning it was clear to me that I was going to play football," he commented. Geis, however, would have to move on from Oberstreu to TSV Mittelstreu, just a few miles down the road, due to a lack of youth players.

'Geisi' was then quickly snapped up by TSV Großbardorf in 2004, the same year in which he joined Mittelstreu, where he was initially deployed as a centre-back.

At the age of 15, his big break came in the form of an offer from Greuther Fürth. He admitted, "That was the first time I realised that I could fulfill the dream of being a professional footballer."

He was now one step closer to emulating his heroes; Bastian Schweinsteiger and the Brazilians who possessed fantastic technical ability were those that inspired the young midfielder.

The move to Greuther Fürth

2008 was when Geis became a 'Shamrock'. It was a big year for him, as he made his debut for the Fürth under-17s and started his career as a German national team player; playing for Germany's under-16s, Geis scored a goal on his first appearance in a 5-1 win.

The season that followed was equally as impressive for his age; he missed just five games for the under-19s in the A-Junioren Bundesliga Süd/Südwest, scoring twice, and began to play a pivotal role in the side.

More game time with his club meant more involvement with his respective national age group, as Geis' name became increasingly well-known. Seven games for Germany's under-17s across the 2009/10 campaign, including another goal, meant that a first-team debut was seemingly just months away.

That chance had seemingly come against MSV Duisburg; he had made the game-day squad but was not used as a sub. His debut came at the tender age of 17 on matchday 13, when he came on as an 84th minute substitute for Stephan Früstner.

He had to wait a little longer for his first start at Fürth, playing the full ninety minutes against Erzgebirge Aue. Geis' real break-through came against Fortuna Düsseldorf, in the final game of the season.

Despite playing just 67 minutes, he was named man-of-the-match and earned a very credible kicker grade of 2 (1 being highest, 6 the lowest). The fact he put in such an accomplished performance could only be marvelled at, especially with two GCSE exams in the week following that game.

"It's nice that the coach has given me confidence," said the youngster. He was speaking about Mike Büskens, who handed him the opportunity. Though, like always, he remained humble: "The competition (for places) has become even greater."

Geis continued to prove himself for the national team juniors, even earning a promotion from the under-18s to the 19s, where he featured in a 1-0 win over neighbours Austria.

The season after was an odd one; his place in the under-19s was secured, but he was limited to a mere three appearances in the 2. Bundesliga. Geis was utilised as a right-back for two of those and made just a single start against Karlsruher SC.

Some good news was to arise for the teen. Fürth had earned promotion to the Bundesliga proper and it was to prove the perfect showcase for his ever-increasing talents.

The start of the Bundesliga campaign yielded few opportunities for Geis to force himself into reckoning. His end to the campaign was, along with his obvious promise, was probably what promoted Thomas Tuchel to sign him for Mainz.

From matchday 23, Geis featured eight times. The highlight of which came in the Frankenderby, where he scored a long-range drive to win the game. Johannes Geis had announced himself in the most spectacular manner possible; he also claimed the man of the match award.

He spoke after the game and couldn't have described the moment any better. "I just shot. And when the ball actually went in - it was just incredible. I had never ever had such a crazy feeling on the football field before."

His big break - Mainz move

So after 17 games and that solitary goal with Fürth, Geis moved to Mainz for a smidge under €1 million. Geis confirmed that, "there had also been some other requests from the first and second division, but the chemistry at Mainz was just right."

What followed was simply phenomenal; that chemistry was immediately evident as Geis took to Mainz like a duck to water. Though he was quick to credit his fellow players for his seamless integration into the side: "[on his form] it's because the team trusts me, we have a really strong team spirit."

The season began with two assists in three games; a pin-point cross and the most impeccable long-ball anyone is ever likely to see. Slightly off balance and being hounded by Wolfsburg players, Geis was unfazed by the situation and played the perfect raking pass to Nicolai Müller who finished with aplomb.

Thomas Tuchel - "With his energy, alertness and belief, he is extremely important to us. He constantly plays at an insanely high level."

Steady performances continued for the youngster, as he put an incredible amount of work defensively. 65 clearances, 18 blocks and a massive 58 interceptions; staggering stats which show just how critical his presence is in shielding the Mainz defence.

There was one issue: a lack of goals. Geis fired 58 shots towards goal in the 2013/14 season, with just one finding the back of the net. While that is a problem, the step up in divisions allowed him to showcase his play-making talents from deep. If anything, this made up for it.

The defensive midfielder - the key word being defensive - created a staggering 70 chances and came up with seven assists. Add to that a pass accuracy of 79% and Geis was easily one of the midfielders of the season. His performances in that campaign earned him plaudits, although it could be argued not enough.

It's easy to draw comparisons between himself and a quarter-back in American Football. The amount of passes played from deep is quite incredible, as is evident against Augsburg towards the back end of last season:

In this graphic Mainz are playing from left to right, which makes it easy to see just how many passes Geis executes from inside his own half. Almost all come 20 yards either side of the half-way line, where he gets the most amount of space to spray the ball where he wishes.

After all that, it's onto his exploits this term. It's been a topsy-turvy season for the Karneval club, though Geis has remained a bastion of consistency throughout. If anything, it's given him more of an opportunity to hone his defensive abilities.

Kasper Hjulmand - "He is on a very good path. He has a good personality. In training, and in matches, he plays with confidence. He has the potential to lead the team."

Such is his influence on the Nullfünfer, he was handed the captain's armband for three of the final five games of the Hinrunde. This is an achievement in itself, but usual skipper Nikolče Noveski had returned for those games and the 21-year-old still held the captaincy. Geis has admitted that he likes taking charge; someone who takes responsibility in doing so in the midst of a nine-game winless run takes courage at the best of times, let alone in the second season at the club.

After exiting the Europa League at just the second hurdle, Mainz were greeted with stiff DFB-Pokal opposition in the form of Chemnitz. One of the great cup ties ensued. The game finished level after normal time and Geis struck a 55-yard half-volley in the final minute of extra-time to take the game to penalties.

A special strike by a player who had AC Milan, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund and a smattering of English clubs linked with his signature. Although Mainz went on to lose the game on penalties, it was a goal that will live long in the memory of everyone who witnessed it that day.

From there, things eventually began to pick up for Hjulmand and Geis. Mainz picked up points with regularity and had a record start to a season, going the first eight games unbeaten. However, since then, there's been a barren spell of eight matches without a win. It's heaped pressure on everyone at the club, leaving them a shadow of their former-selves.

Despite this, arguably Geis' performance of the season came during the winless run. Against Stuttgart, Geis scored a free-kick and enjoyed a quite remarkable passing performance.

As is visible below, he controls the game from deep all with a pass accuracy of around 80%. This wouldn't look out of place for any of the top players in top teams, let alone a 21-year-old in the mid-table region of the Bundesliga.

That's the story of Johannes Geis so far, but what is it exactly that makes him so sought after and where could he end up in the next few years?

Other than his passing, his set-piece delivery has to be marvelled at. He is Mainz's free-kick taker and, apart from that viral video of the dead-ball disaster against Dortmund, is usually incredibly consistent with his deliveries.

A fair few of his key passes and created chances come in the form of corners or free-kick, which can be extremely menacing from deep when he has the time to let the ball swing and move in the air.

Such is his creativity, only assist leader Kevin de Bruyne (45) has made more key passes than Geis (39) this term. Add to that the fact that Mainz's midfield metronome is playing them from a longer distance (25m, the highest average for Bundesliga midfielders), makes it all the more amazing. He is the hub of the team, which is evident from the game against Stuttgart:

Being a defensive midfielder, the attacking attributes are all bonuses to his qualities in defence. His physique is a handy tool; a naturally fit and tall player, Geis can out-jump most (winning 58% of aerial duels) and can cover ground for the full ninety minutes.

Sometimes, though, that defensive work - 30 clearances and four blocks - isn't needed. Geis' reading of the game is akin to that of someone much older; the wise head on such young shoulders has helped him to an impeccable 39 interceptions, the sixth highest for all Bundesliga midfielders.

The 21-year-old is strong in the tackle, too. Only four players in midfield have won more tackles this year than Geis (37), showing he is more than happy to muck in and help the team effort.

However, there is one area in one which he can improve and that's in the goalscoring stakes. As previously mentioned, for the volume of shots Geis has and the amount of those that hit the target, he really should be adding more goals to his game. If he does, he'll be one of the most complete youngsters in modern football.

His personality also adds to the package. Geis isn't boastful, nor is he big-headed and he has the perfect family environment to succeed. His immediate family back him to the hilt, while his long-time girlfriend is also incredibly supportive.

So, just where will he end up in the future? Unfortunately for Mainz fans, it doesn't look likely that they'll be able to hold onto one of Germany's most sought after youngsters. even with Christian Heidel conducting any negotiations.

The recent rumours suggest that Mönchengladbach, Schalke 04 and AC Milan are the front-runners for his signature. Geis has spoken about his desire to try his hand abroad, in an interview with rhoenundsaalepost.de, though a faltering Milan side may not be the best team to take the leap with.

Lucien Favre and his Foals need a replacement for Christoph Kramer, who will return to Bayer Leverkusen this summer. With Granit Xhaka and Havard Nordtveit as possible partners, it could be a good fit for Geis.

Then there is Schalke, who have plenty of options in defensive midfield already. Although if Geis did make the move from Mainz, he would surely look to be ahead of most of those players, but it becomes a balancing act for Roberto di Matteo to keep all of them happy with their play-time.

There is a chance, however, that Ruhr rivals Borussia Dortmund could swoop in for the 21-year-old. Many will be thinking, surely BVB have even more options than Schalke? Ilkay Gündogan, Oliver Kirch, Sven Bender, Milos Jojic, Nuri Sahin and Sebastian Kehl are all natural centre-midfielders.

Despite these numbers, Kehl is set to retire at the end of the season and Gündogan could also be on his way out. That leaves four, but Jojic has been deployed in a more attacking role in pre-season and it looks likely that Jürgen Klopp could carry that through into the Rückrunde.

This is all hypothetical, of course, but if the above were to happen then Dortmund could do with signing another midfielder. Geis would fit the bill; young, promising and great at playing in that transition role that turns defence into attack, similar to what Gündogan and Sahin have been doing.

Jonas Hofmann, who is currently on loan at Mainz, could prove to be a bargaining tool for the move. Though Michael Zorc has confirmed Hofmann will return in the summer, the deal could have secured Dortmund first option on Geis. It could have been goalkeeper Loris Karius, but that now seems less likely after he signed a new long-term deal.

A move to BVB could see Geis fulfill his potential; Klopp's tutelage and the Westphalians' counter-attacking play would see his passing range utilised to its maximum. Even though he may not have Champions League football initially, due to the current situation, it should only be a matter of time before they return to Europe's elite competition.

Whether he does indeed move to another Bundesliga team, Milan or a club in England remains to be seen. However, his future with both the German national team and whatever club he ends up at will almost certainly be bright.

If these words haven't done him justice, perhaps this short video will: