Former England captain Steven Gerrard has sent a congratulatory message to his successor Wayne Rooney after the Manchester United striker became the nation's leading goalscorer.

Rooney surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton's record by scoring his 50th goal for the Three Lions in last night's 2-0 victory over Switzerland at Wembley.

On Instagram, Gerrard, who retired from international football after the 2014 World Cup, wrote: "Congratulations to @waynerooney. Incredible achievement. top player."

Rooney has the chance to extend his goalscoring record next month in England's final two Euro 2016 qualifiers.

A photo posted by Steven Gerrard (@stevengerrard)

on Sep 8, 2015 at 2:51pm PDT