AS THE VALUE OF JOSÉ MOURINHO’S Premiership winner’s medals continues to increase exponentially on Ebay, there is one fantasy lot that would attract an even greater cost: a journey inside his mind.

After a frenzied day’s activity on the internet, both of the medals that Mourinho threw into the Matthew Harding Stand on Saturday had attracted supposed bids of £10 million, but, as well as the absurd sum, a glance at the bidders cast doubts over their authenticty. Lamps8 already has two of his own while Mackembidder, presumably a Sunderland fan, would be better off investing in his own debt-ridden club.

For anyone genuinely interested in gaining an insight into Mourinho, on the other hand, a stroll through his subconscious would be priceless. Almost two years after proclaiming himself The Special One upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho continues to entertain and infuriate in almost equal measure. Above all else, though, he is an endless source of intrigue.

Even by his high standards, Saturday’s show-stealing performance — in which he celebrated his fourth successive championship by complaining about a dearth of manager-of-the- month awards, blamed the press for Chelsea’s failure to win the Champions League and hinted at some dark conspiracy in favour of Barcelona — was something special. As a Bryan Adams fanatic, he is unlikely to appreciate the soothing trip-hop of Portishead’s Sour Times, yet “nobody loves me” could be his refrain.

It is all too easy to dismiss Mourinho as an egomaniac, but there is always method to his madness. The 43-year-old thrives on shock tactics, shown by his decision to shun FC Porto’s Champions League celebrations two years ago and Saturday’s revelation that he had considered quitting Chelsea.

“Chelsea is not a club that people have taken to their heart — that’s one of the reasons I thought about leaving,” he said. “I cannot identify the moment, but it is a feeling I have inside that this club deserves more. It is not easy to work in these circumstances; it is like a man who loves a woman but the woman does not love the man. So why is he married? You have to think about a divorce.

“But Roman (Abramovich) and the group are fantastic people and I stay for them. I won’t turn my back on this fantastic club.”

Underpinning everything else appears to be the outsider’s strain for recognition. Having never played at the highest level, there is little doubt that at the start of his managerial career such interloper status was genuine, a theme that continued at small clubs such as União de Leira and even Porto, but since moving to Chelsea it has been increasingly difficult to sustain.

After complaining of Champions League sharks at Porto, Mourinho is now in charge of the biggest great white in the ocean, yet he has been unwilling to change his methods. His pursuit of a siege mentality has meant that he has come close to developing a persecution complex, searching for imaginary enemies where none exist in the FA, Uefa, G14 and the media.

“The low point was when the English press helps to take away Chelsea’s chances of winning the Champions League — and you have a big responsibility for that,” he said. “I can’t promise anything in Europe because there are forces we cannot control. Can anyone tell me why Andriy Shevchenko’s goal was ruled out against Barcelona? When you have to face these situations, I can’t promise anything.”

Such conspiracy theories are offered to excuse Chelsea’s failings and to spur them on to greater heights, which he will attempt to do until he leaves. Given such a state of mind, it is no wonder that happiness eludes him, as contentment would erode his winning edge. It is an integral part of his achievements that he is never satisfied. “I have all the reasons to be happy but I’m not,” Mourinho said.

Mourinho does not pursue happiness, rather the extension of his legend. As two lucky Chelsea fans have discovered to their personal profit, their manager is in football to win medals, not collect them.