[Exclusive] ZywOo: "If we keep winning trophies, the legacy will come naturally"

After winning the grand final at IEM Krakow 2026, we conducted an exclusive interview with the tournament MVP, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut. In our conversation with Bo3.gg, we discussed his latest MVP award, his match against s1mple, and who he thinks is better, Vitality or the prime Astralis.

You’ve just won your 29th career MVP, extending your all-time record — eight more than s1mple ever had. After a dominant 3–1 final, do you still feel the hunger to keep breaking records, or is it purely about winning now?

It’s only about winning. If you win, the records come naturally. I don’t really care about individual achievements anymore.

Today, for example, I wasn’t thinking about breaking any records. I was just playing my game and focusing on lifting the trophy. That’s always the priority — win first, and then we’ll see what happens after.

Vitality won eight trophies in 2025, including two Majors, and now you’ve started 2026 by winning Krakow. When you face teams like FURIA, who often reach finals but struggle to close them, what truly separates Vitality from everyone else?

I think it’s mainly our mindset and our team environment. We have strong team play, good communication, and we trust each other. That’s the biggest difference.

You could see it on Mirage — we were up 9–3, but at some point we didn’t play well. We got opening kills but didn’t convert properly. FURIA are a very dangerous team. Against them, even when you’re leading 11–6 or 11–7, the game can quickly become very hard.That’s why we always need to stay focused until the very end.

When people talk about you versus s1mple, how do you see that matchup? Did he surprise you with anything — maybe aggressive moves or specific plays against you?

In terms of mechanics or moves, it’s hard for anyone to surprise me. We’ve played against players like m0NESY, s1mple, sh1ro — everyone at this level can do crazy things.

What makes him special is his ability to close rounds. For example, on Mirage, the 1v2 on stairs where he killed both of my teammates — that was insane.

That’s where he really shines. If he improves a bit more in terms of team play, he can definitely be remembered as one of the greatest AWPers ever.

Vitality are clearly the benchmark team right now. After winning Krakow, what is left to prove in 2026? Is it about stacking trophies or cementing a legacy that may never be touched again?

If we keep winning trophies, the legacy will come naturally. We’re not thinking six months ahead or about how many trophies we need.

We take it tournament by tournament, game by game, round by round. There are a lot of events to play, so the only thing that matters is focusing on the next match.

If the current Vitality roster played against Astralis’ golden era, who would win?

It’s hard to compare because Astralis dominated for six or seven years, and the game has changed a lot since then. But considering the current meta and how the game is played today, I would say us.

This event was s1mple’s first Tier 1 tournament in a long time. You’ve played against him before — how did you see his performance, and do you enjoy continuing this rivalry?

To be honest, we didn’t play against them much in practice, and I don’t really follow other players that closely. I focus mostly on myself.

The match we played against him was early in the tournament, so it’s hard to judge his form from that alone. But it’s always fun to play against him. He’s one of the best to ever do it, and facing players like that is always exciting.