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ZywOo has surpassed s1mple as the Counter-Strike GOAT for one big reason

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Publish Date: August 31, 2025

Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev has long been regarded as the GOAT of Counter-Strike, but Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut’s claim to the spot is now impossible to deny.

Counter-Strike is arguably the most competitive game in all of esports. While Europe and the Americas have sat atop the game through most of its lengthy history, teams from Mongolia and China have had the chance to enjoy the spotlight in recent months, and the game’s history has seen great teams from Australia, South Korea, and more places besides. With so many competitors from around the world vying for the top spots, it’s difficult to stick as the very best, even for players who have both the credentials and skills.

Sustained success in Counter-Strike has been a rarity that only a few teams and players have been able to pull off for years at a time. It’s something that set a player like s1mple apart from the crowd, but now, it’s hard to argue that ZywOo hasn’t taken over his spot.

CSGO and CS2 player s1mple.

ZywOo matches all the GOAT credentials of s1mple, and then some

ZywOo and s1mple had a relatively friendly rivalry for some years. After signing with Vitality in 2018, ZywOo quickly established himself as one of Counter-Strike’s top talents and sharpest shots. Of course, at that point, s1mple was already years deep into his run as an elite player.

After his 2015 coming-out party with HellRaisers, s1mple posted a strong 2016 with Team Liquid that included a deep Major run. From there, he made his move to NAVI. While it took about a year for the team to truly come together around him, before long NAVI was consistently performing well in prominent tournaments from late 2017 until the player’s departure in 2023.

In terms of longevity, ZywOo’s story is largely similar. After two years spent in the lower tiers of the pro scene, ZywOo signed with Team Vitality to be part of its inaugural roster. After a stretch of qualifiers and small tournaments with mixed results, Vitality was off to the races in 2019. Outside a skid in early 2021, the team has been a steady top-10 presence ever since and has most typically been ranked within the top five.

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These stretches of success led both players to win all the most prestigious trophies and awards available in the world of Counter-Strike. Both have won Cologne and Katowice championships, ESL Pro Leagues, Blast World Finals, Intel Grand Slams, and Majors.

Both have exceptional resumes, but ZywOo has two major championships while s1mple only has one. That’s not what makes ZywOo the GOAT, though.

Strength of competition makes ZywOo the best player in CS

ZywOo’s true edge over s1mple lies in the general state of CS during their respective runs at the top of the game.

Counter-Strike has defied the odds by steadily growing over time. In 2016, when s1mple first broke out with Team Liquid, the game was averaging around 350,000 players worldwide. In the nine years since, that number has roughly tripled. The total number may potentially be inflated to some degree, but there’s no question that Counter-Strike is significantly bigger now than it was during s1mple’s come-up. The strength of competition has steadily increased over time as a result, with so many players battling it out to reach the game’s highest levels, trying their best to knock off those already at the top.

While s1mple has at times struggled in this new landscape, ZywOo has posted one of the best years of his career so far in 2025.

There’s still an opportunity for s1mple to reclaim his spot at the top of the game. s1mple left NAVI in July and is now playing for BC.Game Esports. If he can lead that team to championship trophies, it may change the math in evaluating these two graet players.

But right now, ZywOo is the top player, the undisputed GOAT, in modern Counter-Strike history. And there’s no arguing that.