Richardson spent one season in Spain before returning to England in the summer of 1991, signing for Ron Atkinson's Aston Villa for £450,000, and was an ever-present in his first two seasons at the club. Richardson became Villa's captain, and led the club to runners-up spot in the inaugural season of the Premier League and victory over Manchester United in the 1994 League Cup Final, in which he won the Man of the Match award. In May 1994, when at the height of his success with Villa, he also won his one and only cap for England, in a 5–0 friendly victory over Greece on 17 May 1994.