Rihanna -- She-Pimpin' With Soccer Stud ... 5 AM Breakfast Date

What Rihanna wants, Rihanna gets ... this time, it seems her sights are set on an international soccer superstar -- because the two hooked up for a very early breakfast date this morning in NYC.

The singer hit up a 24-hour Cuban diner called Coppelia around 5AM with Real Madrid's Karim Benzema -- a handsome 27-year-old who also plays on the French national team.

The two looked pretty cozy inside the eatery -- but left separately.

But here's the deal ... Rihanna is a HUGE soccer fan and first reached out to Benzema during the 2014 World Cup. They exchanged tweets in which she told him she "felt his pain" -- he replied, thanking her for the support.

So, friends ... or more than friends? They both happen to be single right now ...

Stay tuned.