Notts County striker Macaulay Langstaff has shared his desire to match the goalscoring exploits of Premier League star Erling Haaland and Championship veteran Jamie Vardy.
Langstaff’s goal-scoring record of 41 goals in 46 games during the National League last season helped raise the player’s profile as an exciting attacking talent.
The 26-year-old was so revered as a lower-league goalscorer that he was dubbed “The Non-League Haaland” by the Athletic following a purple patch of 15 goals in 13 matches in October 2022.
Ultimately, Langstaff’s goals were pivotal in helping County gain promotion back to the English Football League as the Magpies eventually went up via the National League play-offs.
The prolific striker has not struggled with the step up in quality and he has already netted 11 League Two goals this season, including four braces.
It appears that Langstaff is relishing the limelight too as he explained to Sky Sports how the comparisons with Haaland add extra motivation to score goals.
“When you see your name in the same sentence as Erling Haaland, and when you see your picture alongside his, how can you not like it? It’s brilliant publicity obviously and I use it as motivation to try and keep ahead of him.
“I’m not comparing myself to Erling Haaland in any way, we’re levels apart and he’s arguably the best striker in Europe and for me, he’s my favourite striker to watch so I’m not comparing myself to him but the one little motivation I can take is his numbers and try and stay ahead of him.”
While Langstaff is full of admiration for Haaland, the County forward believes that he is more comparable to Leicester’s Vardy.
“I can’t beat a 6ft 5 defender in the air and header one in I physically can’t do that because I haven’t got the attributes to do that.
“Jamie Vardy’s probably the one for me because we’re similar in terms of the way we play, we like to be out and out goalscorers, run in behind, try and stretch defences and things like that, that’s the one I look at and try to take inspiration from.”
Writer’s View
There’s no denying Langstaff’s goalscoring ability and 69 non-league goals between 2021 and 2023 are a testament to his quality. It is clear that the 26-year-old is also well-suited to League Two and his numbers are likely to increase this season.
Currently, the striker’s confidence is sky-high and he is a central part of County’s rise up to fifth in League Two. However, a test could come for the Magpies in January, as teams higher up the pyramid could be keeping tabs on Langstaff’s goalscoring heroics.
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