Archive footage of Banksy being interviewed for the documentary, Exit Through The Gift Shop

Before his rise to fame, Banksy was actually an amateur soccer goalie. The below images are the first-ever CONFIRMED pictures taken of him, and were taken during a tour of Mexico in 2001. It is believed he was aged around 27 or 28 at the time. His sports club, the Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls, played a game there against Mexican freedom fighters, Zapatista.

Afterwards he painted them a mural depicting their struggle for independence. The pictures in the gallery below were taken while he was painting, and are featured in a new book: “Freedom Through Football: The Story of the Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls.”

The book chronicles the experiences of “Britain’s most intrepid sport club”. They send teams of amateur players to play in troubled communities all over the world. Since finding fame Banksy has helped raise over one million rand to support the club – including donating artworks for auction and designing T-shirts.

Unfortunately Banksy’s face has been pixilated in order to protect his identity, because of the nature of his art works being considered illegal in many countries.

[Source: Daily Mail]