The ESL Pro League Season 21 has crowned Team Vitality as its new champion after a commanding 3-0 victory over MOUZ. This dominant performance solidified their position as the best Counter-Strike 2 team in the world and a prime contender for the ESL Intel Grand Slam.
However, beyond Vitality’s collective success, the spotlight was firmly on one player: ZywOo. The French AWPer has now etched his name in CS history by surpassing s1mple as the player with the most MVPs awarded by HLTV.
ZywOo Breaks s1mple’s MVP Record
With this victory, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut has achieved his 22nd MVP award, breaking s1mple’s record of 21 MVPs. This milestone is even more significant considering that:
- s1mple earned his 21 MVPs across 14 major events.
- ZywOo secured 22 MVPs while competing in 15 major events.
This statistical edge, combined with ZywOo’s consistent dominance, reinforces his case as the best player of 2025 so far.
Source: HLTV
2025: The Year of ZywOo?
The 2025 competitive season seems to be shaping up as a landmark year not just for Vitality, but also for ZywOo. His second MVP award of the year came earlier at IEM Katowice 2025, where he led his team to victory against Team Spirit in the Grand Final.
With this momentum, ZywOo is on track to be HLTV’s #1 player of 2025, further cementing his legacy in Counter-Strike esports.
Source: HLTV
Current MVP Leaderboard in Counter-Strike History
With his latest accomplishment, ZywOo has established a comfortable lead over his competitors. The current all-time MVP rankings stand as follows:
- France – Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut: 22 MVPs (15 Major Events)
- Ukraine – Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev: 21 MVPs (14 Major Events)
- Denmark – Nicolai “device” Reedtz: 19 MVPs (11 Major Events)
- Sweden – Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund: 10 MVPs (2 Major Events)
- France – Kenny “kennyS” Schrub: 10 MVPs (3 Major Events)
What This Means for the CS2 Scene
This ranking paints a clear picture of the shifting landscape in Counter-Strike 2. While ZywOo continues his rise, his closest rivals face significant hurdles:
- s1mple is currently inactive, and his brief stint as a stand-in for Team Falcons did not produce stellar performances.
- GeT_RiGhT and kennyS have retired, making it unlikely for them to add more MVPs.
- device is still active with Astralis, but both he and the team have struggled to regain their former dominance.
With these factors in play, ZywOo appears poised to hold this record for a long time.
ZywOo’s record-breaking achievement marks a turning point in CS2 history. His continued success, alongside Vitality’s dominance, suggests that 2025 could be the year of ZywOo. Unless a major competitor rises to challenge him, he may retain this MVP lead for years to come.
With s1mple’s uncertain future and device’s struggles, the French AWPer is now firmly in control of his destiny. The only question that remains: how much further can he push the record?