On Thursday against Italy, Kane netted his 54th goal for his country in 81 appearances to surpass Rooney in the record books.
Kane fired home a penalty shortly before halftime in Naples in England's 2-1 victory to become his country's all-time top scorer. He looks capable of adding many more.
Rooney, whose 53 goals came in 120 games, was one of the first to congratulate the England captain Kane.
"Congratulations to Harry Kane on becoming England's all-time leading goalscorer. I knew it wouldn't take long but that was quick. Great man, unbelievable goalscorer and an England legend. Congrats Harry!" Rooney said on Twitter.
It was a special moment for Kane who had the chance to break the record in the World Cup quarter-final against France but missed a penalty in the 2-1 defeat in Qatar.
"I was on the pitch when Wayne broke the record. I know what it meant to him and I was so proud of him," Kane told Channel 4.
"I remember when I gave him the boot for breaking the record, he said he would be giving it back to me one day."
Kane had already set one goalscoring record this season, having gone past Jimmy Greaves's haul of 266 goals for Tottenham last month. He now has 271 for the London club.
His strike rate for England is extraordinary and in 64 appearances under manager Gareth Southgate, he has bagged 49 goals.
Kane, who scored 79 seconds into his international debut in 2015, is scoring at the rate of one goal every 1.5 games for his country - a ratio only bettered by Greaves.
He has five England hat-tricks to the six of Greaves but
Thursday's penalty was special.
"It means everything. I was so excited to put the England shirt on, get back out here and get the campaign started for next year's Euros," Kane said.
"It had to be a penalty, and once it hit the back of the net, huge emotion. A magical moment.
"Just a great night, we haven't won in Italy for so long. To score and win is so special."
