WORST TEAM

Paraguay's Sportivo Trinidense had the poorest record of any team in South America's 10 biggest domestic leagues that were completed in 2017, with just five wins from 44 matches. A mention must also go to Buenos Aires outfit Arsenal de Sarandi, who have so far registered just one win, two draws and nine losses in the current Argentine Primera Division season, which finishes in May.

WORST SIGNING

Flamengo's gamble to sign Argentine midfielder Dario Conca on a year-long loan from Shanghai SIPG was nothing short of an abject failure. The 34-year-old played just three matches as he struggled to recover from a serious knee ligament injury. He returned to Shanghai earlier this month with his reputation in Brazil somewhat blemished, having previously shone during spells with Rio de Janeiro giants Fluminense and Vasco da Gama.

BEST PLAYER

In our opinion, this was a tie between Gremio pair Luan and Arthur. Forward Luan, a member of the Brazil team that won last year's Olympic gold medal in Rio, was named Copa Libertadores player of the tournament with eight goals in 12 matches. Arthur, who has been linked with Barcelona and Real Madrid, was Gremio's midfield metronome with his calmness under pressure, wide passing range and defensive prowess.

BEST RECOVERY

It was a tempestuous year for Brazil's Chapecoense, who were forced to rebuild almost from scratch after losing 19 players and all of their coaching staff in a plane crash in November 2016. The club used four different head coaches in 2017 - Vagner Mancini, Vinicius Eutropio, Emerson Cris and, finally, Gilson Kleina - in an effort to avoid relegation to Brazil's Serie B. Under Kleina, Chapecoense were unbeaten in their final 10 league matches and secured a berth in next year's Copa Libertadores.

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