And there were memes aplenty, many comparing him to a buccaneer.

Some showed an eyepatch-wearing cartoon pirate brandishing a cutlass, while others showed a pirate at a ship’s wheel.

There were also many messages wishing him a speedy recovery.

Scholz, whose face is also visibly scratched in the photo, will have to wear the eye patch for the next few days and weeks, government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit told a news conference on Monday.

Olaf Scholz may be the leader the East and West require right now

Despite the injury, Scholz – who has been a regular runner for several years – was in good form, Hebestreit said.

“He was in quite a good mood this morning, but still looks a bit battered,” Hebestreit said adding that the photo was published “so that everyone can get used to how he will look in the next week or two.”

Scholz planned to attend his scheduled appointments including a tour of the IAA car show in Munich on Tuesday and a speech in parliament on Wednesday.

“He’s doing well under the circumstances,” Hebestreit said.

Local media reported that Scholz fell while running in his hometown of Potsdam which is located 28 kilometres (17 miles) southwest of the German capital.

In a profile on his party’s website, Scholz says that he hated sports when he was at school but acquired a taste for it from his wife, Britta Ernst. “Today I jog as often as I can,” he says.

Scholz says he tries to find time for jogging, rowing or walking two or three times a week and also enjoys cycling.

Reporting by Agence France-Press, Associated Press, Reuters