BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shared a photo of himself wearing an eyepatch on Monday after sustaining facial injuries during a jogging mishap. His post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, sparked a flurry of pirate-themed jokes online.
ON Sunday, Scholz suffered minor injuries when he fell while jogging, leading to the cancellation of some of his appointments for the day.
In the photo he shared, Scholz donned a large black eyepatch over his right eye, with visible red scrape marks around the edge. Beneath the image on his official account, he thanked his well-wishers saying “it looks worse than it is!” adding “Excited to see the memes.”
In response to his post, internet users flooded with a wave of memes, many likening him to a pirate. Some depicted a cartoon pirate with an eyepatch wielding a cutlass, while others portrayed a pirate at the helm of a ship. Some of his followers and X users also wished him a speedy recovery.
Despite his injury, Scholz, a regular runner for several years, remained in good spirits, said his spokesman Steffen Hebestreit. He also intended to proceed with his scheduled commitments, including a visit to the IAA car show in Munich on Tuesday and a parliamentary speech on Wednesday.
He’s doing well under the circumstances,” Hebestreit stated during a routine press briefing. He added, “He was in a good mood this morning, although he still looks a little battered.”
