The evolution of the football structure for the C 60 molecule: a retrospective

Abstract
By chance in 1970, we conjectured the possibility of the football-shaped C 60 molecule, now known as buckminsterfullerene, while considering superaromatic molecules having three-dimensional π-electron delocalization. A translation of the original description, initially written in Japanese, is given. The processes leading to scientific discoveries are analysed in the light of our missed opportunity.