The Liverpool captain and his team-mates wear five stars on their shirts to mark the five occasions the European Cup has been won by the Anfield club.

Next Wednesday in Athens, AC Milan will again stand in the way of Gerrard and a winner`s medal.

The England midfielder said: "I want another star on the shirt, another European Cup win and that is the inspiration for us all. The Champions League is the biggest and we want to succeed again.

"That final night in Istanbul was the best of my footballing life so far, and I want to match it in Athens. I don't care how we do it, if it's a boring 1-0 win, we'll take that."

He added: "I experienced all the emotions possible in the last final with AC, and I have watched the highlights of the game many times, listened to the commentary and taken it all in.

"I have pictures hanging in my home of the scenes in Liverpool when we came back with the trophy. I want more to hang up this time.

"It was a fantastic night, but that`s in the past. Now I want to go and experience it again. I`m as hungry this time around as I was two years ago.

"II want to finish my career with more than one European Cup. That is my plan."

Gerrard will celebrate his 27th birthday two days after the Athens final, and by then he should have committed himself to a new contract.

His burning ambition, though, is to take his club back to their peak of the 1970s and 1980s.

He said: "If we win next week I won't be happy, I want more European Cup winners` medals.

"I want as many honours for this club as I can get before I retire, and every one I win makes me hungrier for more. You are a long time retired, and I want to say I played my part in putting this club back at the top of world football."

He added: "The players do not want to come back from Athens upset and with regrets that we have not brought the cup home. We want to make history, be heroes and come home winners. To win one final was absolutely magnificent, to do it twice could be really special.

"The expectation level is exactly the same as 2005. The same prize is there. As a player, you have to cope with that.

"The win in the Nou Camp against Barcelona gave us the confidence and belief we can get to this final. We have done a lot of hard work against the likes of Barcelona and Chelsea and in the group stages to get to the final. We don't want to waste all that by losing in the final."

Gerrard paid tribute to manager Rafael Benitez for leading the team to another final.

He said: "I never imagined we would be going into another Champions League final so soon, twice in three seasons is a fantastic achievement.

"And that is a credit to the manager and the squad he has built. This team is suited to playing in Europe. Hopefully we can go a step further and improve in the league.

"We will be better prepared this time around, we have a few players who were there in 2005 and can take that experience into the Athens final.

"I don't think it will be like last time, when they cut us open in the first half. This one will be a lot tighter, with experienced defences keeping the chances down.

"It will be settled on small details, the odd goal or a set-piece. Very cat and mouse . I can't see six goals this time."