The rivalry between Counter-Strike superstars Mathieu “ZywOo” Erbeau and Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev is an era-defining one. As the game fully embraces a new CS2 era though, along with some new stars, the MVP of the final CS:GO Major says that his rivalry with s1mple is missed.
But not by him.
In an interview with bo3.gg, ZywOo was asked about his own rivalry with s1mple and how it compares with the rivalry between new stars Danil “donk” Kryshkovets and Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov. ZywOo said that donk and m0NESY reminds him of great sports rivals like LeBron James and Michael Jordan, and Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
From 2019 to 2022, the rivalry between ZywOo and s1mple was on par with those sports greats. In all four of those years, the two owned the top two spots in HLTV’s Players of the Year list. ZywOo won in 2019 and 2020, and s1mple won in 2021 and 2022. S1mple won his Major first at PGL Stockholm 2021, but he slipped to number 7 in the 2023 players list. That year, ZywOo reclaimed the top spot and won his first Major at BLAST Paris.
“I wouldn’t say I miss it,” ZywOo said when asked about his rivalry with s1mple. “But I think the scene does. He brought so much to the game.”
Since the release of CS2, the player regarded as the GOAT of CS:GO has not managed to find the same level of success. After CS2 came out, he took some extended time off, as he was unhappy with the state of the game. While away from NAVI, the team won the first CS2 Major without him, which he says “changed plans” for his return. He stood in for Team Falcons early in 2024, then re-joined the team on loan from NAVI to close out the 2024, but is now back on NAVI’s reserve roster.
Even if s1mple never returns to the top echelon again, the way ZywOo says his rival pushed him to be better as laid a foundation for new rivalries to blossom. But hopefully, the story of their rivalry doesn’t end here.
Do you miss seeing s1mple perform at the biggest Counter-Strike events of the year? Let us know what you think down below and on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming esports, check out the news about the success of the most recent Call of Duty League Major.
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