ZywOo becomes the youngest player to be named the best in the world
January 20, 2020: Mathieu « ZywOo » Herbaut, CS:GO prodigy, becomes the youngest and the first French CS:GO player to take first place in HLTV's annual top 20 players ranking, and the first to receive the prestigious title in his first year of top-level competition, an award that could be considered the video game equivalent of the legendary France Football Ballon d'Or.
Our 19-year-old French superstar won over the esports community by claiming three world firsts: that of the first French player, the youngest player in the world, and the first to win the title so early in his professional career.
ZywOo impressed throughout the 2019 season by winning this trophy at such a young age, he set a new record with a 1.31 HLTV rating at major events, five HLTV MVP medals at major tournaments, and five EVP mentions.
ZywOo joined Vitality in October 2018 and, alongside his teammates Dan « apEX » Madesclaire, Cédric « RpK » Guipouy, Alex « ALEX » McMeekin, and Richard « shox » Papillon, he achieved exceptional results in 2019.
« It is an absolute honor to have been named the 2019 player of the year by HLTV. A year ago, I couldn't even imagine that I would be mentioned alongside these absolute legends in CS:GO, and taking first place is truly mind-blowing », said Mathieu « ZywOo » Herbaut.
« Although I am extremely proud of this achievement, CS:GO is a team game and it would not have been possible without Vitality and my amazing teammates. I have never felt so motivated and committed to raising the bar in 2020 and making Vitality the best team in the world ».