Simon Gopane

Football player infobox
playername= Simon Gopane


height= 1.60m (5ft 4in)
dateofbirth= birth date and age|1970|12|26
cityofbirth= Bloemfontein
countryofbirth= South Africa
position= Goalkeeper
current club =Bloemfontein Celtic(GK coach)

Motshweneng Simon Gopane (born December 26, 1970 in Bloemfontein) is a South African football (soccer) goalkeeper.

He was in the South African national team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup as an injury replacement. Andre Arendse was injured before the start of the tournament. His replacement, Paul Evans, was also injured shortly after arriving as a replacement. Gopane was then called up, and sat on the bench for the last two matches.Gopane was- and still is- the smallest goalkeeper ever to be included in a World Cup squad. The diminutive shotstopper stood just 1.60m or 5 ft 4 in tall.He also holds the distinctive position of being the first-ever goalkeeper to wear the number 23 for his country in the FIFA World Cup. He is currently a goalkeeper coach at Bloemfontein Celtic.