ApEX Likens French CS:GO Player ZywOo to Star Footballer Messi
The real French juggernaut.

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Team Vitality has been a top contender in likened CS:GO for quite some time now, as their star player Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut continues to dominate the circuit. The 21-year-old has swiftly risen to the top as one of the most talented players ever to touch the game, going pound-for-pound against the 'GOAT of Counter-Strike', Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev.
The two players have consistently fought hard since 2019 to become the 'Best CS:GO Player of the Year' by gaining the top spot on the prestigious HLTV rankings. So far both these players have secured the number one position two times - s1mple in 2018 and 2021; ZywOo in 2019 and 2020.
Comparing these two giants of CS:GO while also highlighting the impact ZywOo has had on the French scene, Team Vitality's captain - Dan "apEX" Madesclaire has labeled his teammate as a "gifted" player while likening him to one of the best football players in the world Lionel Messi.
ApEX believes that ZywOo is a gifted CS:GO player
There is a stiff rivalry going on between ZywOo and s1mple, two of the best CS:GO players that have competed at the highest level consistently for the past three years. While being direct competitors, they have enabled each other to grow in a bid to stay ahead by constantly improving themselves.
In a recent interview with Dexerto, Vitality's IGL (In-Game Leader) apEX defined ZywOo as "an angel coming down from the sky" to save the French scene by single-handedly turning things around for Team Vitality on a global stage.
He even went on to say that ZywOo was truly "the chosen one", as he was born on the same day Counter-Strike was released back in 2000. He further likened his teammate to Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi by giving the following analogy,
I like football a lot and for me Messi is like ZywOo and Ronaldo is more like s1mple, one is a super hard worker while the other is simply gifted.Dan "apEX" Madesclaire - Interview with Dexerto
While ZywOo became the youngest player to be crowned the best CS:GO player in the world two times in a row by HLTV in 2019 and 2020. The Ukrainian star, s1mple, has been in the scene for a couple of years longer and has equalized this feat by securing two top spots for himself in 2018 and 2021.
This year will be an important year for both these players, especially for ZywOo as Team Vitality has left behind its French roots and transitioned to an international CS:GO roster comprising of multiple Danish members.