The Relationship between Big Five Model of Personality Traits and On-field Disciplinary Behavior among Moroccan Professional Football Players

This study aimed to examine the relationship between personality traits, assessed through the Big Five model, and on-field behavior among Moroccan professional football players. A total of 264 players from 14 BOTOLA Pro1 clubs were assessed using the Moroccan Arabic version of the Big Five Inventory-2 Short Form (BFI-2S). On-field behavior (yellow card) and playing position (FIFA classification) were sourced from official LNFP and club records to examine their links with personality. Yellow card accumulation during the first 13 matchdays of the 2024/2025 season was recorded. Descriptive, correlational, and comparative statistical analyses were performed. The findings reveal that the players who received yellow cards scored significantly higher in neuroticism ( =0.02) and openness ( =0.03) than those without cards. Moreover, neuroticism was strongly associated with the number of yellow cards received ( =0.29,