Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut is one of the greatest Counter-Strike players in history. Four-time world player of the year, 30 MVPs, 3 Major MVPs, yet when French sports publication L’Equipe profiled the 25-year-old phenom, they found someone desperate to remain invisible—a superstar who rejects everything his stardom represents.
The duality of ZywOo’s competitive pursuit
Despite his incredible dominance in Counter-Strike, ZywOo still shies away from the limelight. He avoids social media entirely, leaving his agent to manage accounts while never appearing on Twitch. “It’s to protect myself, a choice I made at the beginning.” For him, the game itself matters far more than how many followers he garners, or the number of awards he wins.
“Recognition is always satisfying for my loved ones… But sometimes, I’d like to be ZywOo’s shadow,” he admitted. “To be unknown but still play. Individual awards have never been a primary goal.”
Related—Vitality survive Inferno scare to lift PGL Cluj-Napoca trophy over PARIVISION
Yet at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026, winning his 30th career MVP, a different side emerged in his interview with HLTV. “It was really close to get 30 MVPs, so it was kinda in my mind,” he revealed. When asked if he’d ever let a teammate take MVP honors: “One day, maybe, when I get to 30 years old. But it is not the time. I will always try to push myself harder when I see flameZ or ropz get closer.”
The contradiction captures ZywOo perfectly—downplaying awards while quietly pursuing milestones. “I will always try to put a trial for them to make it harder for the MVP,” he admitted, betraying the competitor beneath the modest exterior.
“I like how I play, I’m not going to change”
ZywOo’s greatness stems from his immense talent and natural feel for the game. Unlike his teammates who rely on analysis, anti-strats and practice, ZywOo instead just plays using his instinct.
“He does things that I would never advise any player who wants to reach the top level,” acknowledged coach Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam. “But if you disrupt that ‘I just want to have fun’ aspect, he loses sight of what he needs to be in the game.”
People often say that ZywOo isn’t flashy. But that’s because he’s always anticipating. He always understands where the enemies are going to come from, the timing… He’s a real sponge.—XTQZZZ
ZywOo is unapologetic. “I like how I play, I’m not going to change because fans or people ask me to. That’s how I got into the pro world, that’s how I’m going to get out of it.” His game sense defies explanation. “It’s like riding a bike. You stop thinking, you just pedal. When I make a move, I just ask myself what makes the most sense.”
Vitality captain Dan “apEX” Madesclaire captured it well: “He has talent: he comes back from vacation, he resumes training, he’s strong. It’s quite unique. In fact, he annoys me because I know he could be even stronger.” But the IGL, in his recent interview with Sébastien “Ceb” Debs, admits that this trait is part of who ZywOo is, “Maybe it would even take away something from who he is.”
The Chosen One’s journey
Quite fittingly for his eventual career, ZywOo was born on Nov. 9, 2000—Counter-Strike’s exact release date, earning him “The Chosen One” nickname. He grew up in Lens, where his mother ran a café. “Parents who love to read will put books in their children’s hands, I gave them video games,” Nathalie explained.
By age nine, he competed in small LANs around northern France. “I slept on mattresses in community halls, in gyms. That’s where I experienced my first thrills with CS:GO,” ZywOo recalled. Like many of his peers, his dominance made people ponder whether the youngster was cheating.
“When an opponent would come and ask who ZywOo was after matches and he would say, ‘It’s me,’ in his little voice that hadn’t broken, the guy couldn’t believe it ,”—ZywOo’s brother
Related—Vitality superstar ZywOo pens new contract with CS2 team
“Everyone was asking the question, me first and foremost,” apEX remembered. “There’s this player we don’t know who comes along and destroys everyone.” ZywOo found it amusing. “It made me laugh that everyone was saying that when it wasn’t the case. It showed how good I already was.”
Yet international clubs came calling before he finished high school. His mother held firm: “We had a discussion, I told him: ‘If you’re good, people will wait until you get your baccalaureate.’ I have an advantage, which is that my children respect me a lot, so we agreed.”
Eventually, the phenom would join Vitality in 2018, the organization with whom he has stayed throughout his career so far. Playing at the top tier, though, demands a brutal price: 300 days a year away from home, ten hours daily on Counter-Strike. “We miss a lot of things, weddings, birthdays… In the second half of [the 2025] season, I felt the fatigue much more,” ZywOo confessed. “I’ve already thought about taking two or three-month breaks. It’s difficult, in my position.”
In a scene dominated by loud personalities, ZywOo represents something different. After winning the Budapest Major, he simply wanted to “go have a drink with my family.” The world’s best Counter-Strike player—the only four-time player of the year—remains committed to being who he’s always been: someone who just wants to play the game his way, win everything, and disappear back into the shadows.
