German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made headlines on Monday when he tweeted a picture of himself with a pirate-style black eye patch and dark-red bruises on the right side of his face. The injuries were the result of a jogging accident he had over the weekend. In the tweet, Scholz expressed his excitement to see the memes that would surely follow his pirate-like appearance.

To reassure the public about his health, Scholz smiled slightly in the photo and wrote, "Thanks for the well wishes, it looks worse than it is!" The picture seemed to have been taken at the chancellery, further emphasizing that the Chancellor was committed to carrying out his duties despite the mishap.

According to the government, Scholz fell while jogging on Saturday and sustained bruises to his face, leading him to cancel some appointments for the weekend. However, his spokesperson, Steffen Hebestreit, assured reporters in Berlin that the Chancellor was in good spirits, considering the circumstances. Hebestreit also mentioned that the release of the photo was intended to give people an idea of how Scholz would look over the next few weeks.

The 65-year-old German leader had to cancel his appointments in the central Hesse region, where a state election is scheduled for October 8. Local media reported that Scholz had fallen while running in his hometown of Potsdam, which is located 17 miles southwest of the German capital, Berlin.

Scholz has been leading Germany since December 2021, after previously serving as the country's finance and labor minister and as the mayor of Hamburg. In a profile on his party's website, he revealed that he used to dislike sports during his school days but developed a taste for it after marrying his wife, Britta Ernst. He now tries to incorporate jogging, rowing, or walking into his routine two or three times a week, along with occasional cycling.

Despite the accident, Scholz was expected to attend public appearances later on Monday in Berlin, showing his determination to fulfill his obligations as the German Chancellor.