5 Players to Watch Out For in ESL Pro League Season 22: Donk, Zywoo and More

The ESL Pro League 2025 (Season 22) is right on the horizon, and certain players can make a huge impact on the overall outcome for their team and the tournament. Yes, you've guessed it right, we're talking about the ESL Pro League 2025 best players. While it's been more than a year since Counter-Strike 2 made its entry as a new iteration with some new changes, several known faces, such as ZywOo, m0NESY, and ropz, have maintained their form as elite-tier players. Meanwhile, fresh faces like D0nk and KSCERATO have emerged in the province and showcased excellence in several tournaments. All of these players have the potential to make a difference, along with the ability to turn the tide of their matches in their favor. That said, this article will discuss five players to watch out for at ESL Pro League 2025 (Season 22).

5 ESL Pro League 2025 Players to Watch for Season 22

As discussed beforehand, the following list of players possesses the ability to turn the tide of the match in their favor. However, do note that this article is completely subjective and solely represents the author's views. And the following list is not ranked in any particular order. That said, here's a list of ESL Pro League best players to look out for:

5) KSCERATO

Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato is a Brazilian professional Counter-Strike player, currently playing under FURIA's banner. After winning the recently conducted FISSURE Playground #2 tournament, FURIA's lurker should be in full confidence, waiting to showcase his true colors as a patient player. Best known for winning clutch scenarios during intense matches, KSCERATO is surely one of the ESL Pro League 2025 best players. As his team will be starting in Stage 1 of the tournament, his first challenge will be to showcase his talent right from the beginning, helping his team to qualify for the main stage. Furia will also be one of the ESL Pro League Season 22 teams to watch out for.

4) donk

Danil "donk" Kryshkovets is a Russian prodigy, currently playing under Team Spirit's banner. At such a young age, the Entry Fragger has risen from the province and proved his worth with his incredible mechanical aim. In no time, he established himself as one of the best in his CS2 role as an entry. CS2 fans will probably remember when FaZe Clan was the clear favorite to win the IEM Katowice 2024 tournament, a young star suddenly appeared out of the academy team, and dominated the tournament and ended up winning the trophy. He was the first-ever player to beat NiKo's HLTV rating record in a Katowice tournament. As his recent performance has not reached astronomical heights, he should be eager to prove his worth in this prestigious tournament. Fans can expect a solid performance with the help of his incredible teammate, sh1ro.

3) ropz

If you're discussing movement specialists in CS2 and don't include ropz in that conversation, it's pointless to even bring up the topic. While being in FaZe Clan, the Estonian professional has already reached his pinnacle in CS2 Premier mode by achieving the highest-ever rank in EU, but was unable to shine in the competitive leagues. However, after joining Team Vitality, he has risen from the ashes and showcased his true colors. After winning two tournaments (BLAST.tv Austin Major and IEM Katowice 2025) with Vitality, the lurker is now again on a journey to dominate the ESL Pro League tournament. He surely has the potential to be among the ESL Pro League 2025 best players. With his individual lurking skills and Anchoring skills as a CT-sided player will definitely mesmerize the global audience.

2) m0NESY

Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov is a Russian professional player, currently playing under Team Falcon's banner. Being one of the prodigy players during CS:GO days, the Russian AWPer has lived up to his name to date. Mentored by s1mple himself on the NAVI Academy, the 20-year-old AWPER has surely provided some memorable moments for his fans in the CS2 competitive scene. Starting from winning several intense clutch moments to winning tournaments like BLAST Premier World Final and Fall Final in 2024, the HLTV top-10 ranked player has proved his worth in every single tournament, thanks to his solo plays. After securing the third position in recent tournaments (FISSURE Playground #2 and Esports World Cup 2025), he must be eager to win his first CS2 tournament with the newly formed Team Falcons.

1) ZywOo

Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut is a French professional Counter-Strike 2 player, currently playing under Team Vitality's (#1 based on HLTV World Ranking) banner. And when we say #1, we're actually talking about a huge contribution from this two-time Major MVP winner. Despite being only 24 years old, the Frenchman has already won two Major trophies under his name. A few months back, even without ropz, the French organization was dominating every single tournament happening on the International stage. And ZywOo was the star player who was contributing tons by clutching important rounds, securing multiple kills and assists for his team. It might sound rude at first, but he literally carried his team on almost every stage. However, the recent performance from the team has surely failed to showcase their true colors, but ZywOo maintained his individual form. As a result, he's still one of the top 3 candidates in the HLTV rating. With the arrival of this fresh tournament, he should be eager to get his hands on the shiny trophy and is expected to be named among the ESL Pro League 2025 best players. Check out Zywoo's CS2 pro settings on our website.

Notable Mentions

While we've discussed several prominent faces like ZywOo, m0NESY, and others, there are a few other players who can carry their team to that shiny ESL Pro League Season 22 trophy. Team MongolZ's Senzu, Team Falcons' Kyousuke, Team Vitality's flameZ, NAVI's w0nderful, b1t, and several players have been the unsung heroes for their team. Their ability to support their team from behind and show true colors when their team needs it the most has always been the talk of the town in the CS2 competitive scene. They all have the potential to be one of the ESL Pro League 2025 best players.