When the press office of Berlin’s federal government released an official photograph on Monday of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sporting an eye patch, the social democrat knew his pirate look would cause a stir.
“Excited to see the memes. Thanks for the get-well wishes, looks worse than it is,” the chancellor wrote on Twitter.
Indeed, all the expected memes came through, including images of a cartoon pirate brandishing a cutlass, a pirate at a ship’s wheel, and Scholz holding a sword and wearing a hat with a skull and crossbones on it.
Reuters reported that Scholz, who has held his current office since 2021, is an avid runner, and he injured himself while running on Saturday near his home in Potsdam, just outside of Berlin. He fell, and beyond whatever damage the eye patch is covering, there are visible scratches on the politician’s face. He had to cancel regional election events on Sunday, but was back to business on Monday with an unforgettable look.
A spokesperson said Scholz was in a “good mood,” but appeared “battered,” so he wanted the public to see the photo and adjust to how he’ll look over the next few weeks. The injury was memorable enough to earn a place in the sparse “personal life” paragraph on his Wikipedia page, alongside details about his marriage and religious affiliation.
As Damien McGuinness wrote for BBC News, “Given the dire mood in German politics at the moment, voters are probably grateful for any sort of light relief that reveals Olaf Scholz to be man with a sense of humor.”
The 65-year-old had an aversion to sports when he was in school, but his wife, fellow Social Democratic Party politician Britta Ernst, got him into running, and in a profile on his party’s website, he said, “Today I jog as often as I can.”
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, Like the Wind Magazine, The New York Times, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
