| ZywOo | |
|---|---|
.jpg) ZywOo at theIEM Rio RMR in 2022 | |
| Current team | |
| Team | Team Vitality |
| Role | AWPer, Rifler |
| Game | Counter-Strike 2 |
| Personal information | |
| Name | Mathieu Herbaut |
| Born | (2000-11-09)9 November 2000 (age 25) |
| Nationality | French |
| Team history | |
| 2018–present | Team Vitality |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Mathieu Herbaut (born 9 November 2000),[1] better known asZywOo, is a French professionalCounter-Strike player forTeam Vitality. He is considered one of the greatest players in Counter-Strike history, having been ranked the No. 1 player in the world byHLTV in 2019, 2020, 2023 and 2025.[2][3] He is the second-youngest everHLTV Player of the Year at 19 years old,[4] and one of only three players, alongsidecoldzera anddonk, to be named the HLTV Player of the Year in their first full year as a professional player.[5]
He started playing at age seven with his brother but was only allowed to play for less than an hour per day by his mother. After becoming a teenager, he still never "played in the middle of the night" or "did 4-5 hour sessions", his family always keeping an eye on what he was doing.[6]His mother also encouraged him to get into video games, and from time to time even played with him. But before allowing him to participate inesports, she demanded that he first finish his secondary education and acquire hisbaccalauréat, which he did.[7]
After completing his baccalauréat, Mathieu was able to take upesports professionally, joiningTeam Vitality in October.[8] The results came quickly, as they won DreamHack Open Atlanta 2018 in November. The next month, he and his team qualified for the minor qualifier for the next Major, Katowice Major 2019. In the Minors, Vitality landed in second place, securing a spot for the Major in Katowice.
The results of ZywOo and his team were not that brilliant in the Majors: as they ended up finishing in 9-11th in Katowice Major 2019 and then a 5-8th place in StarLadder Berlin Major 2019. They still went on to win in two top-tier tournaments of the season, ECS Season 7 Finals and EPICENTER 2019, and finished second twice at ESL One Cologne 2019 and DreamHack Masters Malmö 2019.
Mathieu's individual stats were impressive for that year: he finished MVP 5 times and had a 1.30 overall rating in LAN events. In January 2020, Mathieu Herbaut was chosen as the World's Best Player of the Year 2019 byHLTV.org, thus becoming the first French and the youngest player to receive this award since its inception in 2010, and matching Marcelo 'coldzera' David's feat of receiving it in his first full year as a professional player.[2][9]
During 2020, many tournaments either transitioned to an online format or did not take place, due to COVID-19. Mathieu became the #1 player on HLTV.org's ranking for the second time in a row, withNatus Vincere'sOleksandr 's1mple' Kostyliev, andNicolai 'device' Reedtz fromAstralis behind him.[3][9]
After qualifying for thePGL Major Stockholm 2021, Team Vitality would lose against Natus Vincere during the quarter finals, and place 5th in the major.[10] He was ranked the 2nd best player of 2021 by HLTV, with s1mple claiming the #1 spot.[11][12]
Team Vitality dropped out of thePGL Major Antwerp 2022 on day 5, losing againstHeroic.[13] He was ranked the 2nd best player of 2022 by HLTV, with s1mple claiming the #1 spot.[14][15]
He received the MVP inBlast Paris Major 2023, the tournament thatTeam Vitality won againstGamerLegion, beating them 2–0 in the final. ZywOo was awarded his sixteenth MVP award following Vitality's victory overENCE in the grand finals of Gamers8 2023.[16]
He was named the player of year by HLTV for a third time, tyings1mple's record.[17]
Team Vitality dropped out ofPGL Major Copenhagen 2024 in the semi-final toFaZe Clan,[18] who went on to lose the final toNatus Vincere[19]
For the secondmajor of 2024,Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024,Team Vitality went out in quarterfinals, once again toFaZe Clan.[20]
ZywOo was ranked the 3rd best player of 2024,[21] only behindm0NESY(#2), anddonk(#1)[22]
Team Vitality won 7 out of 8 entered events in the first half of 2025, where ZywOo would win his 21st to 27thHLTV MVPs at IEM Katowice 2025,[23]ESL Pro League Season 21,[24]BLAST Open Lisbon 2025,[25] IEM Melbourne 2025,[26] Blast Rivals 2025 Season 1,[27] IEM Dallas 2025, and theBLAST Austin Major 2025 respectively.[28] With his 22nd win, ZywOo overtook the record for most HLTV MVPs previously held bys1mple,[29] and by the 23rd MVP ZywOo overtook the record for LAN MVPs with 17 LAN MVPs, previously also held by s1mple.[30] With the victory at IEM Melbourne 2025, Vitality have also completed the ESL Grand Slam Season 5.[26]
At the Austin Major, ZywOo won his second Major after Paris 2023, where he would also receive his second Major MVP award, becoming the third player to receive multiple afterMarcelo "coldzera" David andNicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz.[31]
After a 4-month drought of tournament wins, Vitality won ESL Pro League Season 22,[32] making it the first tournament ever won by Vitality since his joining where ZywOo did not get the HLTV MVP, which instead went tom0NESY, fromTeam Falcons.[33]
On August 25, 2025, ZywOo was awarded the Esports Breakthrough Player of the Decade at the 2025 Esports Decade Awards.[34][35] On November 19, 2025, he also won the 2025 PC Player of the Year at the Esports Awards.[36] In addition, he was nominated for the Best Esports Athlete atThe Games Awards 2025, but did not win.[37]
On December 14, 2025, ZywOo and Vitality were crowned champions of theStarLadder Budapest Major 2025, his third Major title.[38] He was also awarded his third Major MVP, the most of any player.[39] He became the first back-to-back Major MVP sincecoldzera in 2016.[40] ZywOo matcheds1mple's 2021 record for the most medals in a single calendar year, with eight total MVPs.[39] All eight of his MVPs were at Big Events, surpassingdev1ce's record of seven Big Event MVPs set in 2018.[40]
ZywOo was named the player of the year for a record-breaking fourth time by HLTV, breaking a tie with s1mple.[41]
Team Vitality won IEM Kraków 2026, with ZywOo winning his 29thHLTV MVP.[42] ZywOo recorded a 1.59 rating, his highest ever at a Big Event.[43]