Esports: “Experiencing what I’m experiencing with Vitality was unimaginable,” says Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut.

Mathieu, is it more powerful to make Counter-Strike history collectively than individually? Mathieu «ZywOo» Herbaut: It's always more powerful when it's collective. I think we'll remember this series for the rest of our lives, especially because we made it together. Receiving an individual award , like an HLTV Award, is always a source of pride, but in the end, it's a purely personal pleasure. It's only satisfying for me. Whereas when you win a Major or another tournament, you see all your teammates laughing, everyone at Vitality is happy, and I think even my family is happier to see me win a tournament than an individual award. Today, that's what matters most to me, to see everyone happy when we win a tournament.

The tournaments are coming so quickly, do you have time to realize the significance of winning these seven titles in a row? It's not easy, it's true. We know that what we're achieving is exceptional. Winning so many tournaments in a row, especially on a tour like ours, requires a lot of energy, it's something that's very hard to do. But at the same time, as you say, everything is going so fast, we're constantly going on that sometimes, we don't even feel like we've won a tournament before we're already on the plane heading to a new competition. You have to manage all that. I think that at the end of the season, when the holidays come and I can relax with my family, I'll realize all that a little better.

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In 2023, you won the Major in Paris and four other tournaments, but you weren't able to string together the same successes this year. What changed in 2025? I think it's the chemistry within the team, and how we worked at the very beginning of the year when "Ropz" (Robin Kool, the latest recruit) joined the team. We managed to sort out a lot of little details and we get along really well. Everyone respects each other, everyone is happy to share that, and I think that explains why we're performing at such a high level. In terms of roles within the team, everyone complements each other, everyone is in the perfect place, everyone understands each other, complements each other. No one feels the need to do more. We know that even with an average level, you can already achieve great things. But yes, I come back to the term alchemy, it's the perfect word because we have a very good connection together.

You mentioned "Ropz." How did his arrival change everything for your team? It was the turning point. We didn't want to repeat the same season as 2024. We were coming off a very good year in 2023, and we hoped to do roughly the same, or even surpass it. But in the end, it was a failure because we only won the Cologne tournament. So, we all worked hard, we all put in extra effort to move forward. I don't think anyone thought we would win seven tournaments in a row, but it symbolizes the effort we put in, the time we put into the game, talking to each other to try to understand each other. And in that respect, "Ropz" was definitely a crucial element. His hardworking side, his personality off the pitch, all of that boosted everyone. Not to mention his experience, which also helps us in very important matches. To see him always calm and collected, even under pressure, is fundamental. You need a player like him to create a truly great team.

And you need a player like you too. Do you feel like you're even stronger this year? Yes, I feel like I've improved compared to 2023, in terms of my decisions, what I bring to the team, the energy I put into my matches. I think that's something I've improved a lot since 2023. I'm a little more expressive, which is good for me, but also for my team. It's always better to see the star player giving energy.

I'm no longer the young guy on the team. My way of thinking has evolved.

Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut

Have you changed on a personal level? Yes, I also think I'm getting older. I'm no longer the young guy on the team. My way of thinking has evolved. I'm able to be more useful on days when I'm not performing individually by trying to bring good energy during matches, to shout, to give motivation. "Apex" already does this very well in his role as captain, but I can also bring something extra in this area. It's always a plus to see your best player well motivated, good in his game. It transmits confidence to everyone, and to me too because I dare to do things that I might not normally do.

So, do you feel more fulfilled today in your everyday life? I think that in my life, in general, I haven't really changed my mindset or way of seeing things. I think it's mainly within the game, in how I have to behave with the team in matches. Nothing has changed in my life, I'm not more unhappy or happier, I'm still the same (laughs).

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If we talk about Cologne, do you always approach the tournament the same way or is there a different pressure like: "we can't lose anymore with this series"? We know very well that one day we're going to go down, we're going to come out of a tournament and we're going to be disappointed in ourselves. We've already had this discussion collectively, we're ready for that. So we haven't really changed our way of looking at the tournament, we're always here to go as far as possible and win because we know we have the skills and the team to do it. In fact, I also think that winning the Major in Austin took away the pressure of saying that we have to win everything. Because now, it's good, we finished our season with the Major, we proved to everyone that we had a very good season and now, we just want to continue to play our game and enjoy it. I think that's the most important thing for us, not to think about the future but to take it match by match.

Are you still a little afraid of the moment when this fabulous run will end? Fear is too strong a word. It's not fear, it would just be disappointment not to have been able to win Cologne again because it remains a very big tournament for us.

With this series, have you discovered an unquenchable appetite for victory? Not individually, but as a team, we always want to go further because these are always unforgettable moments. But individually, winning awards always helps me keep my head high, but it matters less to me. Today, I'm less happy winning an individual title than a team tournament.

It was never a dream of mine to accomplish all this.

Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut

Does having achieved all your childhood dreams, and perhaps even more, play a role in your mind? Do you have other dreams now? On CS, there isn't much left, it's true. I still have to go and get the number of Majors that Peter "Dupreeh" Rasmussen has, that is to say 5. But otherwise, apart from that, I don't really have an individual goal, which doesn't stop me from remaining a competitor at heart who loves to give it my all. On the other hand, collectively, by winning Cologne, we can open up the prospect of winning a second Grand Slam in the same year.

Would you have imagined having such a career when you started playing Counter-Strike alongside your brother? No, it's too hard to know. Everyone wants to become the best player, but achieving it is something else. Before joining Vitality, I never thought about it in my life. It was never a dream of mine to accomplish all this. I was just a kid who had immense fun playing and wanted to shine as much as possible. But at this point, collectively, it was unimaginable.