German chancellor sports eyepatch after weekend running accident

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has shared a photo of himself wearing an eyepatch after being injured while on a run in his hometown on Saturday.

On Monday, the 65-year-old Scholz posted a fresh portrait to his official account on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, which shows him sporting a black patch over his right eye. Several scrapes and scratches can be seen around his eye, as well as on his nose, cheek and chin.

Wer den Schaden hat…
Bin gespannt auf die Memes. Danke für die guten Wünsche, sieht schlimmer aus, als es ist! pic.twitter.com/bB5INX8HnM

— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) September 4, 2023

According to Euronews, the German leader took a tumble Saturday while running in his hometown of Potsdam, about 30 km southwest of Berlin, although how exactly he sustained the injury to his eye isn’t clear. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said at a news conference Monday that Scholz will likely have to continue wearing a patch for weeks as he continues to recover. “He was in quite a good mood this morning, but still looks a bit battered,” Euronews quoted Hebestreit as saying. The spokesman added the chancellor was doing well under the circumstances.

Although his ill-fated run left Scholz’s face bruised and scratched, his sense of humour seems to have made it through unscathed. To accompany the photo he posted of himself online in which he’s showing off his new patch, Scholz wrote a brief message in German that translates as “I look forward to the memes. Thanks for the well wishes, looks worse than it is!”

Was zur Hölle habe ich getan https://t.co/UsmI4WBrQk

— Markus (@Markus_17x) September 4, 2023

The Internet was more than willing to pick up the gauntlet thrown down by Scholz in a good-natured way. His original photo and accompanying challenge have spawned countless memes, most of which depict him as a pirate, while others portray him as an eyepatched pop culture character, such as Avengers founder Nick Fury. Judging from the response so far, meme creators will be getting much more mileage out of Saturday’s run than Scholz was able to.

Deutsche Nick Fury pic.twitter.com/dvAy5N5m9M

— Nicht Chevy Chase (@DrWaumiau) September 4, 2023

Scholz, who has led Germany since December 2021, says in a profile on his party’s website that while he hated sports as a student, he developed an interest in running through his wife, Britta Ernst. “Today I jog as often as I can,” he writes, noting he tries to find time to run, row or walk a few times a week.