Gerrard said: "It was unbelievable. None of the players imagined there would be so many people there, waiting to cheer us on.
"The scenes were incredible. I was sitting on the plane coming home with my medal and thinking 'life can't get any better than this,' and then you saw those fans everywhere.
"Someone told me there was about a million people on the route and it was just so special.
"I can remember the celebrations following the cup treble in 2001, but this was something else. The lads were just buzzing.
"For some of the foreign players it was a real eye-opener but this is Liverpool Football Club, and that's why we never gave in against Milan when it looked like a lost cause.
"The fans in Istanbul were brilliant and the welcome home topped off the greatest night of my life. I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who turned out on behalf of all the players. Those supporters are the best."